Simone, of course, moved in next to him and pointed at the ring through the glass. “It is an oval shaped sapphire with two round diamonds beside it. It is set in white gold, which is very nice. Sapphire represents sincerity, truth, and faithfulness—which is what you are looking for, right?”

He knew his mouth hung open, and he nodded.

Madeline shook her head and looked at Simone. “How do you know all of that?”

“I used to own a lot of jewelry.” She laughed and then looked down at the simple solitaire diamond which adorned her finger. “None of my jewels from before mattered at all. This ring—this simple ring—means more than any fortune.”

The look of contentment on Simone’s face was exactly what he wanted to see on Arianna’s.

“Ya’ll think this is the one?”

The three women nodded together.

“You’re sure I shouldn’t go with something traditional like a wedding ring?”

Regan smiled. “She doesn’t want marriage. This,” she pointed to the ring, “says you gave some very sincere thought to it.”

Regan stayed with him after the others had left. She’d tried on the ring with the sapphire and a few others, but John knew they were right. The sapphire ring with the diamonds was the best.

As the sales woman cleaned it up and put it in a box, he sat at the counter with Regan, contemplating what he’d done.

“You look like someone is going to shoot you,” she said.

“Sorry. I wasn’t even this nervous when I proposed to my ex-wife.”

“Arianna makes you nervous?”

“Extremely, but in a very good way. I don’t even know if that makes sense.” And he was tired of no longer making sense.

“It makes perfect sense. You love her, and you want everything to be right.”

“But already everything is way beyond where I thought we’d be. I had no intentions of having…” he stopped, realizing it wasn’t appropriate to continue the conversation.

However, Regan’s grin told him he had nothing to worry about. “I know you’ve had sex, John. She’d been planning that since Carlos’s wedding to Kathy.”

“How is it I’m the only one that didn’t know that?”

“You’re too good for your own good.”

“I wasn’t going to mess things up between my boss’s sister-in-law and myself.”

“Doesn’t seem messed up to me.”

She was right. It was almost perfect in its very mixed up way. “They aren’t going to tell her about the ring, are they?”

“Madeline and Simone? Of course not. Those two love surprises.”

John rubbed the back of his neck. “I planned a trip to San Francisco, too.”

Regan slapped his shoulder. “You’ve gone all out, haven’t you?”

He shrugged. “Seems like too much.”

“Are you kidding me? She’ll eat it up.”

He nodded then let out a deep breath. “I had actually contemplated asking her to marry me.”

The smile on Regan’s face diminished. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Not anymore I don’t.”

Regan readjusted her purse on her shoulder and then looked up at him. “She’s never wanted it. Marriage, that is.”

“She’s mentioned that.”

“Then don’t do it. Is that what you want? Marriage? Babies?”

Before he gave her an answer, he gave it some thought. “I thought it was for a moment, but…”

“John, if that’s what you want, you have to make some serious decisions.”

He didn’t like the severity of her tone. What was so bad about marriage and babies—and why was he questioning it? That wasn’t what he wanted—he didn’t think.

The saleswoman handed him his purchase, and he and Regan walked out into the plaza where the store was located.

Regan turned right to him. “Are you going to propose?”

“Why would she turn me down?”

“She doesn’t want marriage.”

“But why is it different than what we have now?”

“It just is.” She let her shoulders drop. “I don’t know why she’s so shy about it. She believes in commitment. She believes in forever and family.”

“But a piece of paper that signifies it is the deal breaker?”

Regan looked around as if she were looking for answers. “Yes.”

John took the ring downstairs and tucked it away. The stage was almost done, under direct orders from Zach himself. Another week and they’d surprise her with a grand fortieth birthday celebration.

Until then, he had to keep secrets and he hated that.

He’d hoped to be back upstairs before she was home, but it didn’t work that way. The front door slammed, and he heard her purse and bag drop to the floor.

It was time to just smile and pretend as though earlier that morning she hadn’t wanted to fly away.

John walked up the stairs. He could hear her now in the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he caught a glimpse of her standing there holding out a beer for him, but what took him by surprise was the lack of clothing she had on.

It was hard to imagine that in the few minutes she’d been home she’d changed into such an outfit.

John took the beer. “Thank you,” he said, but the words croaked out.

“Do you like it?”

What was not to like? A few pieces of fabric covered only very intimate parts of the body he’d committed to memory.

“I like it.”

She moved in closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Good. I brought Chinese food.”

His blood supply had drained from his brain which only made him dizzy when she changed the subject.

“Are you eating in that?” He gave her a long glance.

“One of the best things about Chinese food is that it warms up nice.” At that point she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him through the kitchen to the living room. She took the beer from his hand, set it on the coffee table and pushed him back onto the couch.

These were reasons to never have children. Not every man could have the woman of his dreams, barely dressed, force him into a very comfortable position on the couch.

Arianna swung her leg over him and positioned herself above his hips.